Prince Andrew: I'm very worried about keeping my role

Prince Andrew's fears at the prospect of losing his role as British trade envoy are revealed for the first time today by the Evening Standard.

A socialite with close links to the Duke of York told of his distress over the storm surrounding his friendship with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Goga Ashkenazi, 31, said Andrew had sent her a message on his BlackBerry over the weekend asking: "Have you seen the papers?" In the first insight so far into his state of mind, Ms Ashkenazi said he was "very, very upset" about the way he has been portrayed and "very, very worried" about whether he can continue in the ambassadorial role. Andrew has been under pressure since photographs emerged last month linking him to Epstein, a convicted child sex offender.

In one image, Andrew is pictured with his arm around Virginia Roberts, a teenager who was being abused by the American financier at the time.

"He knows it was unwise to fraternise with this Epstein character, and it was silly to be photographed with his arm around Epstein's masseuse," said Oxford-educated Ms Ashkenazi.

"But I know Andrew as a lovely, lovely man, kind-hearted, impeccably-behaved and honourable, and I'm quite sure that at the time he had no idea that she was underage or anything more than a masseuse to Epstein." In a wide-ranging interview with the Standard, Kazakh businesswoman Ms Ashkenazi, who lives in a £28 million house in Holland Park, defended her friend as a "superb envoy".

She said: "Yes, he's made a mistake but it's not the kind of mistake that should cost him his job.

"It should be weighed up against all the good he has done. Britain is very lucky to have him. If a government is recognised by the international community, you have to put your personal views to one side and do your best for your country.

"Andrew is not the only one to have beaten a path to the door of dodgy dictators.

"When you travel as much as he does, situations are bound to arise where you find yourself shaking hands with people you later wish you hadn't met." Her defence of Prince Andrew came as business leaders delivered a lukewarm assessment of his role of UK special representative for trade and investment.

Director-General of the British Chambers of Commerce David Frost claimed the post was "absolutely critical" to the economy but repeatedly refused to give the duke his personal backing. He said: "I am commenting on the position, not the personality." After 24 hours of mixed messages from Downing Street - blamed on David Cameron's new director of communications Craig Oliver - a No 10 spokesman today said the Prime Minister had "full confidence" in Prince Andrew.